Imelda has nothing on you.
Has it gotten to that point, yet? Do you have so many shoes, that you've run out of places to put them?
You're not alone!
Many of us have a few pairs of shoes that we keep in heavy rotation, with the rest of our collection accumulating in various nooks and crannies around the house--under the bed, in high, hard-to-reach shelves, piled in the hallway, and the most shameful location of them all--in a big cardboard box in your closet. Yes, some of these shoes need to have the buckles repaired, or the
heel tips replaced, or simply need to be polished. Or maybe they're just not as cute as you thought they were when you bought them for 50% off at that big blowout clearance sale two winters ago. Regardless of the situation, they've been banished to 'THE BOX', where they will live until your future granddaughters finally pull them out for their "retro" day school dance.
Is there anything really wrong with having a big box of shoes?
I'm afraid, dear shoe collector, it
is wrong for the following reasons:
Out of sight, out of mind
I have a pair of adorable espadrilles that I regretfully forget to wear each summer. Why don't I wear them? Because I keep them with all my other large or heavy boots and shoes, that are worn almost exclusively in the fall and winter. If I would only reorganize my shoes so that these were more visible, then I'd actually wear them once in a while! If your shoes are stuck in 'THE BOX', how likely do you think you're going to remember to wear them?
Ahoy mate-y!
Okay, maybe you have a special outfit that you always wear with one pair of shoes. And maybe you don't wear these shoes with any other outfits (which is why they probably ended up in the box in the first place!) When you finally find an excuse to wear these "sole mates" (get it?) then the hunt begins. Maybe it's just me, but I think I'm cursed, somehow, because I can only ever find my left shoe when I'm in a hurry. The mate just somehow manages to evade my grasp unless I make a giant mess--dumping out that entire box of shoes, just so I can find the uncooperative rogue mate to my special, oh-so-adorable left shoe. A lot of stress could easily be avoided, if only I didn't have to organize a search party each time I wanted to wear a pair of shoes from 'THE BOX'.
And the single, most important reason why you shouldn't keep your shoes piled in 'THE BOX':
It's destructive behavior
Shoes can sometimes take a bit of a beating (we DO walk on them, after all!) However, you can't expect your shoes to be squashed together into 'THE BOX' (with stiletto's, Velcro, and dirty or possibly oily shoe soles,) and expect your pointy toes to stay pointy, your satin & silk slippers to remain clean, your leather to appear uncreased and un-scuffed, and your ruffles to lay un-bent. If you keep your shoes in this undignified manner, you're not only allowing them to take on a sloppy & unattractive appearance, but you're also shortening their lifespans! Now, that's just cruel.
It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!
Here are five tips for dealing with your shoe refugees:
1. Family therapy!
Find all the shoes from 'THE BOX' that need repair, and separate which shoes are worth repairing, and which might need to have their last dance in the dumpster. For the remaining shoes, categorize them into groups based on the type of repair they need, and schedule a separate day for each type of repair. One weekend can be devoted to replacing insoles. Another weekend, you can scrounge up a pair of pliers and a hammer to
replace heel tips en masse (
ordering replacement heel tips all at once also saves on shipping costs!) Perhaps a warm and sunny afternoon, you can find an outdoor spot or well-ventilated area in your home to break out the shoe polish and work out those scuffs. You can even keep a separate group for serious shoe repairs that require you to make a special trip to a cobbler. If you categorize the types of repairs, you won't get as overwhelmed, you'll save time and money, and you'll find 'THE BOX' broken down and recycled in no time!
2. Give them up for adoption!
It may cause you pain now, but believe me when I tell you that you will not miss shoes that you never wear. Find the shoes that get the least amount of wear, and simply get rid of them. Give them to a friend, sell them to a clothing consignment store, or donate them! There are even programs that will take sports shoes and recycle them for other uses!
Here is a list of some organizations who take shoe donations for re-use or recycling:
3. Give them a place to call home
For the shoes that you end up keeping, consider creating an organization system that gives each pair of shoes their own space. Though it can cost a decent amount of money and space to do so, you can consider this part of the cost of maintaining your shoes. Shoe racks come in several designs--some are freestanding on the floor, some hang from inside your closet or closet door. Some people devote entire shelved closets to shoes, while others (myself, included) have special pieces of furniture to store theirs (I use a wardrobe fitted with many shelves.) One of my favorite shoe organization solutions is to buy clear boxes for each pair, and to label each box with a photo of the shoes. Either way you store them, remember that clear and easy visual access, as well as a location with close proximity to where you dress yourself, are both important factors to a successful storage design.
4. Give support
Photo by Lokarta
Shoes get stretched by your feet and your perspiration while you wear them, particularly if they're made of natural materials. Some even say that your shoes shrink when you don't wear them regularly. You can help maintain the shape and texture of your shoes by purchasing and using shoe trees. In addition to warding off creases, they also can help protect the toe box of your shoes from getting crushed if they are kept on an open shoe rack. Wooden shoe trees (particularly cedar) can also absorb odor and moisture, which in turn, increases the lifespan of your beloved shoes. As a temporary and partial solution, you can also stuff your shoes (those ones still languishing in 'THE BOX') with crumpled newspaper until you have time to deal with them appropriately. Again, this isn't a long-term solution, but it may help avoid further creasing and crushing.
Lastly, my favorite tip...
5. Mix it up
If they're in good repair, find an excuse to actually wear your shoes. Not only does this give your 'work horse' shoes a breather (allowing wear and tear to be distributed across a larger number of shoes,) but it allows you to get your money's-worth out of your entire collection. Why buy a pair of shoes if you aren't going to enjoy them? Plus, it's fun! I typically choose my outfit based on which top or dress I want to wear--pants/skirts are secondary, while shoes and accessories are the last items chosen. I've found it's actually kind of fun to break my routine, by choosing an outfit that revolves around a pair of shoes that I haven't worn often enough. If you do this, be prepared for all the compliments you'll receive, such as,
"Cute shoes--are they new?"
or
"You look different today--I'm not sure why, but I like it!"
A more organized future awaits you!
Acceptance of your shoe hoarding tendency is the first and hardest step to overcome; the rest takes time, patience, and maybe even a bit of elbow grease. But after whittling down 'THE BOX', you'll find that getting dressed is easier and more fun with everything in it's proper place and in it's best condition!